A safe distance from Nairobi 's Westgate Mall , several Kenyans stare through a stand of trees at the site of one of the nation 's worst terrorist attacks .

The opulent mall has proudly stood for six years -- like a glittering city within a city in the popular enclave of Westlands , about 15 miles from slums where residents struggle daily to survive .

But Saturday 's attack by Al-Shabaab terrorists has left dozens dead , turning the 350,000 square foot , five-story shopping complex into a symbol of a very different kind .

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Among the onlookers Tuesday gathered at a cordoned off area near the scene of the attack , cab driver Benjamin Kamau said he does n't feel safe anymore . The tragedy has shaken him . It will take a long time to return to any sense of safety or normalcy .

Westgate Mall has made its name as a place to see and be seen -- where shoppers sipped frozen yogurt , caught a movie and shopped for the latest fashions amid an extravagant waterfall and casino . For the nation 's wealthy , it was a taste of the West in their own backyard : 80 stores including Samsung , Nike and Adidas -- lined its pristine , peach colored marble hallways .

For Kenya 's expatriate community , the mall was a taste of familiarity in a land far from home .

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Now , pools of blood have smeared once shiny floors . Coffee shops that were once filled with lively chatter have been littered with half-empty latte cups left by shoppers trying to escape with their lives .

On the day of the attack , my cousin , Charles Mugo , and his two daughters , ages 6 and 3 , found themselves with about 40 other shoppers in the mall parking garage . They 'd just returned from a grocery store to pick up food for the family dog , Muthaka , when gunmen stormed in , AK-47 rifles blazing .

Mugo came face-to-face with one of the terrorists , a lanky , 6-foot man , wearing a black scarf-like cloth on his head and magazines of ammunition around his waist .

`` Just like Rambo does in the movies , '' Mugo recalls .

`` We 're not here to rob you , we 're here to kill you , '' the gunman announced to the crowd .

`` You 've been killing our women and children in Somalia . ''

When the gunmen demanded to know if they were Muslim , Mugo hesitated just long enough for the attackers to turn their attention to a man nearby .

The man stared at them blankly when one attacker tested him by asking who the Prophet Muhammad 's mother was . They shot at him -- the bullet ripping through his coat -- but leaving him unharmed .

The interaction lasted long enough for Mugo to push his two girls under a parked car , and for him to stoop low behind it . They waited , and waited .

`` Girls , did you pray today ? '' he whispered . `` I 've prayed five times already , '' the older daughter told him . `` I do n't want to die today . ''

Ninety minutes passed . By then , the gunshots did not sound as close . They felt confident enough to make a run for safety .

`` Westgate bad , blood , '' the younger daughter told me later . She showed me scratches on her face from laying flat on the ground . `` I ran , ran , ran . '' Eventually , the Mugos escaped unharmed .

Kenyans and foreigners died in attacks scattered across the complex . It was the deadliest terror attack in Kenya since al Qaeda blew up the U.S. Embassy there in 1998 , killing 213 people . Terrorism experts say the attack bears eerie similarities to the 2008 siege of a hotel in Mumbai , India -- another upscale target with Western appeal . Lashkar-e-Taiba , a Pakistani terrorist group that attacked the hotel for more than three days , killing 166 people .

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The Nairobi attack targeted non-Muslims at a stylish mall . `` This is a soft target . It 's in a high profile area , '' said CNN military analyst retired Lt. Col. Rick Francona . `` There 's going to be a lot of foreigners there , a lot of wealthy there . This is -- this was well-planned and well-thought out . ''

CNN national security analyst Fran Townsend said , `` There is no sort of hard perimeter by which you could screen for security purposes , and so it 's difficult to protect . ''

The tragedy has changed many who 've been touched by it . Four days after the attack , Mugo is still trying to sort out his feelings . `` You have to take time to let it sink in . I think I 'm still in shock , '' he said . `` All I keep thinking of was what if they were different scenarios . What if I had parked at a different place . What if I had not gone to that mall . At the time , all I kept thinking was I just could n't let these girls die . ''

Outside the mall , the Kenyans keep watch .

From a distance .

Kamau , the taxi driver , shakes his head . `` I wo n't be going back in there . Never , ever , ever . ''

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Terrorist attack changes Kenyans ' view of glamorous mall

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Some residents wonder if they can ever revisit Westgate Mall 's upscale stores

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Al-Shabaab terrorists stormed Nairobi 's fanciest mall Saturday , killing dozens

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Survivors reveal how they escaped death in the mall 's parking garage